Saturday Recap - 1/19/13

Saturday’s slate of basketball games featured upsets, buzzer beaters, and blowouts. Here is a quick look back on a full day of action.

Game(s) of the Day:

College:

Butler 64 Gonzaga 63

Butler came into their much anticipated Gameday match-up with Gonzaga as 2.5 point home underdogs and also without their top player Rotnei Clarke. Butler was also down one point with 4 seconds left while Gonzaga had a half court inbounds. As Butler has proved time and time again, none of this mattered. Roosevelt Jones stole the inbounds pass and hit a floater over 7 –foot center Kelly Olynyk to win the game and set off a proper court storming. After a back and forth last minute, Butler ended up with the final shot and took advantage in a packed Hinkle Field house. Jones led the way for Butler with 20 points while Sam Dower and Elias Harris each scored 20 for the Zags.

Syracuse 70 Louisville 68

Syracuse came into their biggest game of the year in Louisville, KY without the services of James Sunderland and as 6.5 point underdogs. Syracuse held strong throughout and put together a strong final stand by holding Louisville scoreless for the final 1:58. Sophomore Michael Carter-Williams made a key steal and raced the length of the court for a rim rattling dunk with 25 seconds to give Cuse their final lead. Brandon Triche led the way for the Orange with 23 points on 9-13 shooting while Russ Smith scored 25 points for Louisville. Star guard Peyton Siva played 37 minutes but struggled mightily as he went 1-9 from the field. 

High School:

Chester (PA) 63 Gonzaga (DC) 55

Chester bounced back after suffering an upset loss in the Brandon Jennings Invitational with a strong showing against senior forward Kris Jenkins and Gonzaga. Senior forward Rondae Jefferson (Arizona) missed Chester’s loss last week but returned with a vengeance and finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, and six steals. Senior guard Darius Robinson took the game over in the final minutes and went on a person 6-0 run to put the game out of reach. On the other side, Jenkins scored a game high 23 points for Gonzaga while draining several three pointers and using his big body down low.

Upsets of the Day

College:

Utah 74 Washington 65

In one of the final games of the night, Utah pulled the biggest upset of the day. The Utes came into Seattle as 11 point underdogs and winless in the PAC-12. On the other side, Washington came into the game fresh off an easy win over Colorado and a 4-0 PAC-12 record. Washington struggled from the field and the Utes jumped on them early with a 14-4 run to start the game. The Utes led by eight points at the half and held on during a high scoring 2^nd half. Center Jason Washburn and forward Jordan Loveridge led the way for the Utes with 18 and 17 points respectively.

High School:

Paul VI (VA) Montverde (FL) 67

Montverde, the top ranked team in the country suffered a stunning loss to Paul VI in the Missouri Bass Pro Tournament of Champions only one day before their much anticipated match-up with Findlay Prep. Paul VI battled back from a 10 point deficit in the 3^rd quarter to force overtime after two free throws from sophomore Marcus Derrickson. One day after hitting a game winning jump shot against St. John Boscoe, sophomore guard Kevin Dorsey delivered again with another game winning jump shot. Both teams played in the City of Palms Classic this past December but Paul VI suffered an opening night upset loss and the teams never met up. The sophomore laden Paul VI squad has now knocked off Oak Hill Academy and Montverde.

Blowout of the Day:

College:

Florida 83 Missouri 52

The Gators gave Missouri a nice welcome to the SEC with a 31 point beat down on Saturday afternoon. Point guard Scottie Wilbekin scored off the tip and Florida never looked back starting off with an 11-0 run and a 40-23 halftime lead. Four players scored in double figures for Florida led by forward Eric Murphy and his three-point shooting. One of the top point guards in the country, Phil Pressey struggled mightily as he went 1-7 from the floor and finished with 10 turnovers. Despite two losses, Florida served notice that they should be in the conversation for top teams in the country.

High School:

Whitney Young (IL) 85 Long Beach Poly (CA)52

Long Beach Poly came in 3^rd place at the City of Palms Classic while Whitney Young placed 5^th; however the match-up yesterday was not even close. LB Poly started the game off with a 12-6 1^st quarter run and then it was all Whitney Young as they went on a quick 12-0 run to take the lead that only increased throughout. Big man Jahlil Okafor dominated inside with 26 points and seven rebounds and continued his impressive junior campaign. While Okafor led the way for Whitney Young it was the least talked about Whitney Young starter that sparked the initial run. Senior point guard Ausar Madison is often disrespected by defenders but made LB Poly pay with a 15 foot jump shot and three-pointer on back to back possessions in the first quarter. After that, the remaining Whitney Young starters in Paul White, L.J. Peak, and Miles Reynolds took over. Whitney Young’s lone defeat came to Montverde in overtime after a long day of travel in Florida and face off against the 3 time defending state champion of Illinois in Simeon next Saturday.

Other Notes:

·         The Hangover effect – Coming off big wins, both Maryland and Wisconsin suffered road defeats. Maryland got blown out in Chapel Hill from the get-go and trailed by 22 points at the half. Junior guard Reggie Bullock scored 21 points in the 1^st half and Maryland committed 15 first half turnovers. UNC only scored 18 points through the first 17 minutes of the 2^nd half, but Maryland could not capitalize. Wisconsin trailed from the get go in Ames and suffered through a 1-10 shooting performance from guard Traevon Jackson.

·         Marquette got off to a slow start at Cincinnati with 13 first half points, but almost pulled off the come from behind victory. Last week Marquette defeated Pittsburgh in overtime as 11 point underdogs and this week they lost to a hot shooting Sean Kilpatrick in overtime 71-69.

·         Florida State only scored 36 points in a twenty point defeat to UVA while shooting 1-15 from three.

·         Oregon won at Pauley Pavilion 76-67 and took possession of first place in the PAC-12 after defeating both of the Southern California schools this past weekend.

City of Palms - Day 4

Dick Vitale was not in attendance on Day 4 of the City of Palms tournament, but that didn’t stop a capacity crowd coming out for the night’s semi-final match-ups. With a birth to the 40^th annual City of Palms championship on the line the top teams in the nation battled for the coveted final game on Saturday.

Game of the Day:

(67) Lone Peak vs. (52) Southwind

On Thursday night, Lone Peak jumped out to an early lead against Chester and never looked back while snapping their 61 game win streak. On Friday night, Lone Peak needed until the 3^rd quarter to pull away. The athleticism of Southwind created some problems early on for Lone Peak as the game started out with Southwind’s center, 6’10” Jonathon Williams III hitting a 3-point attempt over Eric Mika. Williams followed up his first offensive possession with a blocked shot on the first defensive possession setting the stage for the first half. Senior guard, Jujuan Johnson came off the bench and quickly scored 7 points in a matter of minutes. With Lone Peak miss-firing on deep three pointers, Southwind had a 19-14 lead after the 1^st quarter. Future BYU guards Nick Emery and TJ Haws brought Lone Peak back in the 2^nd quarter with their shooting and Lone Peak trailed 31-30 at the half. TJ Haws and Lone Peak came out blazing in the 3^rd quarter. Haws went for 13 points in the quarter and turned a 1 point deficit into an 11 point lead. Haws was getting to the basket for mid-range jumpers and lay-ups while also connecting on a three pointer plus the foul. After this scoring explosion, Lone Peak held on in the 4^th quarter despite Southwind’s pressure and won 67-52. TJ Haws led the way for Lone Peak with 24 points (four 3’s) and Nick Emery added in 16 points. Big man Eric Mika added in a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds as well. Southwind cooled off in the second half, but Jonathon Williams III still had a fine performance and finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds. 

Performance of the Day:

Malik Newman – 21 points

In one of the early afternoon games, sophomore guard Malik Newman led his team to a 59-43 victory over Tift County 59-43. This game was tied at 21 a piece at halftime before Newman took over. Despite facing a box and one defense all game Newman started the half off with a quick 3-pointer. Newman then added another corner three before going to work off the dribble. Tift tried to make it hard for Newman to catch the ball, but when he did they were in trouble. Routinely catching the ball at half-court, Newman drove to the left and right at will and went 4-4 in the lane on contested finishes. Newman shot 6-8 in the 2^nd half for 14 points and helped turn a tie game into a 16 point victory. Along with his offensive foray, his mere presence on the court led to easier shots for his teammates such as TreShawn Bolden. Newman also added in 10 rebounds and 3 steals. Despite having a future Kansas commit on Tift in Brannen Greene, Malik Newman was far and away the best player on the court.

Other Notes:

Whitney Young (#17) won a close game with Omaha Central (#15) 60-57 behind Jahlil Okafor’s 23 points and 11 rebounds. Okafor dominated down low and shot 6-8 in the first half and 5-6 in the 2^nd half despite constant double teams. Okafor showed off a great set of hands and even hit a deep jumper to lead the Dolphins. Omaha was led by a well-balanced attack and had 4 players in double figures. A Louisville assistant coach was in the stands to watch a future Cardinal in Akoy Agau. Agau had 14 points and 8 rebounds while going 3-3 from behind the arc in the first quarter.

Junior Whitney Young guard Miles Reynolds had another solid effort in the tournament with 15 points on 5-6 shooting. Despite not getting the publicity of the other top three juniors on his team, Reynolds is rapidly gaining recognition. Reynolds went 3-3 from behind the line including the biggest shot of the game as he gave the Dolphins a two point lead with under 2 minutes to go. LSU offered Reynolds a scholarship after watching his game on Thursday night. More offers will be coming shortly.

Montverde Academy (#4) easily defeated Long Beach Poly (#9) in the 2^nd semi-final 76-51. Montverde was just too big for the Jackrabbits of Westchester and jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Big men Dakari Johnson and Devin Williams led with 17 a piece. Senior forward Roschon Prince led the way for Poly with 22 points but it wasn’t enough.

After having their 61 game win streak snapped on Thursday, Chester (#3) took their aggression out on Lake Wales with a 78-64 victory which was not as close as the score suggests. Senior forward Rondae Jefferson (Arizona) led the way with 27 points and 14 rebounds and attached the rim with several highlight reel dunks in the first half. Jefferson went 11-13 from the field. Despite the loss, Douglas Brooks scored a tournament high 32 points with 8 three pointers.

Sophomore forward Marcus Derrickson of Paul VI scored 17 points in an easy win over Lake Highland Prep. Derrickson mixed in several outside jump shots with his brute strength down low to dominate.

One day after Nick Emery won the 3-point shootout for Lone Peak, Erik Mika won the slam dunk contest.

Championship Preview:

In what could be the most anticipated game of the high school season, Lone Peak faces off against Montverde in the City of Palms championship. Montverde has the size and all of the five star recruits, but nobody shoots the ball or moves the ball around like Lone Peak. Here are several keys to the game:

Size – Future Mountaineer, Devin Williams is the X-Factor. While Dakari Johnson and Eric Mika will square off, Lone Peak does not have anyone to guard Williams in the post. He made Long Beach Poly pay; can he do it again tonight?

Pressure – Lone Peak has feasted on the full court pressure shown to them by Chester and Southwind. Montverde does not press full-court but will instead apply half-court pressure led by guards Kasey Hill and DeAngelo Russell. Lone Peak has been used to getting numerous open looks after breaking the pressure. How will they fare in a half-court game?

Shooting – Lone Peak relies on outside shooting, which certainly isn’t a secret. Will Russell and Hill be able to slow down the future BYU back court of TJ Haws and Nick Emery? Conner Toolson and Talon Shumway are more than capable of hitting from the outside as well, but they will have to be ready to play to keep in Lone Peak in the game.

Roschon Prince: An Impact Recruit

On August 7, USC added a commitment from Roschon Prince, a 6’5”, small forward from Long Beach Poly High. Prince, along with point guard Kendall Harris and guard Kahlil Dukes are part of the initial 2013 recruiting class that Kevin O’Neil hopes will bring respectability back to the Trojan basketball program. After a 1-17 Pac-12 schedule, this commitment by Roschon Prince is significant not only to O’Neill’s Trojan squad, but also to the Pac-12 in general as both the school and conference try to take steps back into the national limelight. 

Prince is not considered a five-star recruit, let alone a four-star recruit by recruiting services such as ESPN and Scout. After recently updating their rankings based on summer AAU and camp play, these services did not consider this multi-sport star as a top-100 player. Despite this lack of national recognition, Prince is very well-known on the West Coast and will become an impact recruit during the 2013-14 basketball season. Prince more than held his own against tough national competition during the Nike EYBL, NBPA Top 100 camp, and Lebron James Skills Academy this summer which made him a priority for many west coast colleges.

Getting to the line as usual

As a highly regarded 8^th grader, Prince began his high school career on the Long Beach Poly varsity squad averaging 9.1 ppg. He increased his scoring average to 12.3 ppg as a sophomore and 21.7 ppg as a junior while helping Poly capture three league titles. Along with the league titles, Prince helped lead his team to within a 2 point defeat in the most recent California State CIF Championship. Not just a star on the basketball court, Prince also used his 6’5” frame and muscular build to catch touchdowns on the football gridiron for the famed Poly High football team. Long Beach Poly is one of the most famed high school football programs in the country featuring alumni such as DeSean Jackson and Mercedes Lewis. Despite not planning to play football this fall, Prince showcased his physical style of play at events all over the country. 

While dominating California high school play this past winter, Prince also held his own on the competitive Nike AAU circuit playing for ICP elite. Despite not making the Peach Jam tournament, Prince did what he is well known for in California which is attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. Prince shot an average of 9 free throws a game during 20 EYBL games which was second only to the 6’9 man-child, Julius Randle (185 to 180 attempts). Prince led ICP with 16 ppg and 5.4 rbg. The EYBL kicked off in Minneapolis and on opening night Prince dropped 28 points, while averaging 21 points during the first session. He also played extremely well in the Dallas EYBL averaging 18 points. During this session, Prince got to face off with top ranked recruit Jabari Parker. While Parker finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and a victory, Prince more than held his own and helped his team throw a scare into the talented Mac Irvin Fire team up until three minutes to go in the game.  

Overall, Prince had an impressive spring / summer and competed with many of the top players in the country. Currently, the main area of weakness in Prince’s game revolves around his outside shooting. He struggled behind the three point line in EYBL shooting 5-34, but does possess good form giving him room to grow during the off-season and senior year. An improved shooting stroke would also benefit Prince at the free-throw line. He shot a respectable 65%; however considering how often he gets to the line even a slight bump up would significantly increase his points per game.  

Going into his senior season, Prince will look to finish his high school career with a 4^th straight league title and a California state championship. Prince will also get one more shot at impressing the recruiting services that did not consider him a top 100 player as Long Beach Poly will face off against many of the nation’s top teams in the City of Palms Classic over the Christmas holidays. 

Prince is an under the radar player that can get to the rim almost any time he wants and will bring a toughness to the Trojan squad that was sorely lacking in the 2011-12 season. With this commitment, O’Neil got one of the best players on the west coast who also knows that he can hold his own and compete against any player in the country. Not only is Roshcon Prince an important piece of the puzzle in bringing respectability back to the USC program, but he also helps bring respectability back to the Pac-12, a conference sorely in need of a talent in flux after a trying 2011-12 season.